


A Dusting of Sweetness

by FoxyDangerfluff (Argent_Vulpine)



Series: A Bit of Hoodoo Magic [1]
Category: Changeling (Visual Novel)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Coffee Shop, F/M, Hoodoo, Magic, Post Game, vampire, withcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-09 08:30:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17998430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Argent_Vulpine/pseuds/FoxyDangerfluff





	A Dusting of Sweetness

Marc and Nora were sitting on the sofa in the club room, only their thighs touching as each read from their respective books. It was a quiet day, with many of the others out doing things for other clubs, or running errands of some sort. The silence was - to them - comfortable, broken only by the occasional sound of a page turning.

She hadn’t caught what Marc was reading, but it wasn’t an assignment for class, and Nora had her own research to do; a project in her art class called for historical references, and she’d been perusing a book on art history and gotten swept up in reading about techniques. She idly wondered if she could get some of the materials together to try a few of the things she’d been reading about, frowning slightly at the descriptions the book gave.

Her thoughts must have been too loud, because Marc reached over and flicked her forehead. Nora grimaced, rubbing at the spot, and made a face at him.

“If you’re concerned about cost of materials, you realize I would be happy to purchase them for you, right?” he asked, having gotten her attention.

Another face this time, but she smiled despite herself. “I know you would. I don’t even know what I most want to try, though, honestly.”

He slid his bookmark into place and set his own book down before gently grabbing hers out of her hands, flipping back several pages and pointing. “There. That’s what caught you the most. You particularly enjoyed the ‘dream-like’ quality.”

Sometimes she still found it difficult to believe that he could read her so well. And not just her mind, though he’d stopped complaining about her ‘shouting’ at him, now that she was back in her own body again. Even beyond that, she was an open book to him, or so it seemed, and yet he still tried to come across as closed off to her.

Nora smiled softly, feeling a surge of warmth in her heart. Try as he might, she could still tell. She leaned over and pressed her lips to his cheek. “Then maybe I’ll try that one.” She took the book back from him, running her fingers over the page thoughtfully.

The door to the library opened, and the two of them looked up in mild surprise. They hadn’t known anyone was in there. It was less of a shock, though, to see _who_ was coming out of the library. William, of course.

William’s cheeks turned a little pink when he caught sight of them sitting so close together, but he smiled, coming further into the room and closing the library door behind him. “Hello Marc, Nora,” he said, his voice soft.

“Hi William,” Nora replied, returning his smile. “More training today?”

“What? Oh… no, not today.” William settled into one of the wing-back chairs, setting a few books on the table beside him. “Guess couldn’t make it today, so I was just doing some reading.” He paused, catching sight of the book in Nora’s hands. “Oh, are you working on the art project?”

“Kind of? Just research right now.”

Beside her, Marc shifted, a subtle lean against her that had her biting back a laugh. He should know there was no reason to be jealous of William. While she considered him a good friend, friendship was all it was.

Marc relaxed slightly at the path of her thoughts. “Say, would you two like to go check out the new café in town?” she asked, suddenly. Her stomach rumbled in agreement with the idea.

“There’s a new café?” asked William, curious. “What’s it called?”

“Hoodoo Café. I peeked in the other day. Something in there smells really good.” Nora turned and grinned at Marc. “There’s some kind of Persian tea on the menu. It sounded interesting enough even I would like to try it.”

He did smile at that, though it faded quickly as he thought it over. “Hoodoo, you said? Isn’t that a form of Witchcraft?”

“So the owner might be a Cryptic?” Nora asked, considering. “Worth checking out?”

“Perhaps. William, if you would like to join us, I will drive us to town.” He may have phrased it as an invitation, but his tone suggested otherwise.

William had known him long enough to understand that it was more a strong suggestion than anything else. He gathered hist books and stacked them neatly as the others gathered the rest of their belongings and left the club room. Marc kept his hand on Nora’s waist as they made their way down the stairs, a gesture she found endearing, even if she was sure it was at least partly due to lingering jealousy.

The group loaded themselves into Marc’s car, and with only minor directions from Nora, he took them to town, finding a parking spot relatively close to the café. Winter was creeping up on the town, and the temperature had begun to drop at a steadier rate. The occasional biting wind certainly wasn’t helping, and the warmth of the café was a welcome relief.

The first thing Nora smelled upon entering was the same sweet, almost cake-like smell she’d caught before. Rather like a donut, but different enough to be intriguing. Marc leaned down to whisper in her ear, “What you are so focused on is called a beignet. They are a pastry popular in Louisiana and brought over by the French.”

Of course he’d know that. She rolled her eyes, fond if somewhat annoyed. She didn’t even question _why_ he knew about them. “I think I read somewhere that Hoodoo is common in Louisiana. So that makes sense.”

A dark-skinned woman popped up from behind the counter, her deep brown hair offset with a shock of plum-colored hair. She had several piercings, as well: one in her nose, one on her lip, and several above her eyebrow. “Welcome to Hoodoo Café! I’m Marie, the owner.” Though she was enunciating carefully, it was clear she had a thick accent, one that threatened to creep in without warning.

It was fascinating to listen to. Marie asked if this was their first time in the restaurant, and after only barely waiting for a reaction began to explain the menu, picking up easily on the things that interested each person in the group. They were soon settled in at a corner table with a plate of fresh beignets in the middle. Nora had a chicory coffee, and Marc had opted to try the ‘Creole mint tea’, whatever that was meant to be.

She hadn’t paid enough attention to see what William ordered, but it smelled delicious regardless. Marc took the stack of plates that had come with the big one and set one down in front of each person before he began to divvy up the beignets. He had even taken one for himself, which amused Nora. If he was willing to risk an upset stomach (or three) for these, then they must be good.

And they were. She took a bite of one, her eyes widening in surprise. The powdered sugar got everywhere, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Marc glanced over at her and sighed, grabbing a napkin and carefully brushing off her cheek. “You could _try_ to have a little more decorum,” he grumbled.

Nora flicked sugar-dusted fingers at him. “Decorum and delicious pastries doesn’t seem to go well together to me,” she retorted.

William laughed softly as he watched them, his eyes crinkling in quiet amusement. “You two have gotten really close, haven’t you?” he asked. It wasn’t the first time he’d said it, but…

“You could say that.” Nora grinned over at Marc, who looked up from his attempt to remove the sugar from his coat. He frowned at her, but made no move to say anything. Everyone knew, even without them admitting it openly.

There was a long pause before conversation picked back up, discussing the café and its food and drink, and - more quietly - what could possibly be happening on the Cryptic side of things. Was Marie a Witch? Did she practice hoodoo? And how was that different from the sort of Witchy things Shelly and Ally pursued? Or the brothers at The Murder?

That topic kept them going until the beignets were all eaten, their cups were empty, and Marc decreed it was time to go home.


End file.
